Sweet Revenge
by WerewolfCookie
Summary: After being betrayed by his girlfriend and his best friend, Matt wants revenge on Tai. His revenge comes in the form of Kari Kamiya, Tai's beloved little sister. Yakari. COMPLETED! BOOYAH!
1. Betrayal

_Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. If I did I would be a lot wealthier than I am. Also, I would make the series about the Digidestined of Seasons 1 & 2. _

It was so good to be home again. I had enjoyed touring with my band, but I had missed everything about my own home. My friends, my school, even my little brother TK. As soon as I walked in the door of my house, I breathed in the familiar air, filled with joy to be returning after four long months. Of course, I had been away from home before, but it was always nice coming home. As my dad came out to greet me I ran up to him and wrapped my arms around him. It was good to see him again.

After that, I dragged my stuff to my room and dropped my bags on my bed, then headed for the spare bedroom. TK was staying at my house at the moment. I found him lying stretched out on his bed reading, and I walked up to him and pulled the book out of his hands. He looked up, saw me and attacked, hugging me fiercely. I guess he missed me as much as I missed him. Even though we don't live together, me and my brother are really close.

"So how was your tour?" asked TK.

"It was great!" I told him. "I missed all my friends though, especially Sora."

Sora was my girlfriend. We had been friends since we first went to the Digital World. That was nearly seven years ago now. From when we first went to the Digiworld, I was closer to Sora than any of the others, with the exception of my brother TK. I was always fighting with Tai, who's now my best friend, and the others were a bit annoying. We're all friends now, but I'm still very close to Sora.

TK looked a bit upset now, and he wasn't smiling anymore. "Uh, Matt, I don't think Sora's going to be as pleased to see you as you think," he said awkwardly.

I didn't understand then. I couldn't imagine what TK was trying to say. He wasn't trying to be unkind, TK wasn't like that. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't she be happy to see me? She's my girlfriend!"

TK looked at me sadly, the kind of look you give someone who's about to suffer the death penalty. You know, the "yeah-I-feel-sorry-for-you-but-I-sure-as-hell-wouldn't-want-to-be-in-your-position" look.

"Look, Matt… I dunno, just talk to her about it tomorrow."

"But – "

"Just talk to Sora about it, Matt. I'm not the person who should be telling you this, okay?"

I just shook my head and went back to my room.

-------------------------

The next day I called Sora. When she answered it was so good to hear her voice. I had barely called her while I was gone, and I was glad to hear from her.

"Sora, it's me! I'm back!"

"Matt? Um, hey."

"Hey! How's it been while I was gone?"

"Things have been… good."

"Cool. So do you wanna go see a movie or something tomorrow? I haven't seen you in ages."

There was silence over the phone for a few seconds, then I heard Sora sigh.

"No thanks, Matt."

I was a bit disappointed, so I tried again.

"Oh, okay. Well, what about Sunday?"

"Matt, I don't wanna go to a movie."

Looking back, I realise that I should've taken the hint and hung up. I should have remembered my brother telling me that Sora might not be happy to see me. But, like the idiot I was – am – I kept asking.

"That's fine, Sora. We can do something else. You know, we could go get coffee, or go for a walk, or just hang out at my place."

"Matt… I don't want to do anything with you."

I was a little taken aback. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an understatement. Sora was my girlfriend; she was supposed to love me, wasn't she?

"Sora, what – what's wrong?"

"Matt, I think we should stop seeing each other."

A million questions rushed through my mind. Why, Sora? What's wrong? Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you? Can you forgive me?

Don't you love me?

But all I could say was, "What?"

"While you were gone, I – I started seeing someone else."

What? Who?

She continued, "And now that you're back, I have to choose between the two of you, and I've made my decision."

There was a stabbing pain in my chest. I assumed that it was my heart breaking.

And then she said the worst thing she could have said.

"But we can still be friends, right?"

I slammed the phone down hard and stalked off.

-------------------------

I was meeting my old friends today to catch up. I wasn't really looking forward to seeing Sora, but it would be nice to see Tai, Izzy, Joe and Mimi. TK was spending the day with Tai's little sister, Kari. Those two had been best friends for years. She was a nice kid.

I grabbed the keys to my grey train-smash of a car. A day job working at a supermarket and a night job as a struggling musician wasn't enough to afford a decent car, unfortunately. Mine was a piece of crap, but at least it got me where I needed to go.

Fifteen minutes later I pulled up about a block away from where I was meeting my friends. It was the closest I could park. I started walking towards the place where my friends were. I checked my watch; I was about ten minutes early, but that didn't matter. I trudged uphill to where my friends would be. When I was a few metres away I stopped short; the only person there already was Sora. I didn't want to have to talk to Sora yet; definitely not on my own. Maybe I could wait until the others got there.

I didn't have to wait long. In a few moments my best friend Tai raced over. I was about to rush forward to greet him; I had missed him, after all.

But Sora beat me to it. She rushed into Tai's arms and kissed him. He returned the embrace. I was frozen to the spot. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. So this was who Sora had replaced me with. My girlfriend and my best friend had betrayed me.

Taichi Kamiya would pay for this.


	2. The Plot

_Disclaimer: To all the people who have so little to do that they spend time looking for fan fic authors to sue, I don't own this show. So na na na na na, you can't sue me! Shame!_

I hated Tai in that moment. I would have wrenched him away from Sora and beaten him up on the spot, but I couldn't help thinking it might cause a bit of commotion. I couldn't possibly face either of them. I turned around and walked back to my car.

I started thinking of ways to get back at Tai. Murder was my first choice, but there were laws against that. Maybe I could just maim him. Or maybe I could just maim his car. That would really piss him off. What I really wanted to do was to give him a taste of his own medicine; make him feel all the hurt and betrayal that I was feeling. How would he feel, if someone he thought was his friend stole the girl he loved the most?

When I got home I parked my car and trudged inside. I wanted to collapse on my bed. Everything at home was screwed up. I wished I had never come home from my tour.

Kari was still over at my house. Her and TK were in the same class at school and had been paired up for a big assignment which they were working on today. When I got home TK glanced up from his work to wave at me, and Kari smiled at me and said, "Hey, Matt!"

And that's when it hit me. How would Tai feel, if someone stole the girl he loved the most? I knew Tai. His love for Sora was nothing compared to his love for his little sister Kari. He was also fiercely protective of her; sometimes he was stricter with her than her own father. He had been reluctant to let her spend the day alone with my brother today. He's known my brother for seven years and he still doesn't trust him around Kari. TK has got to be the most trustworthy guy I know, and I think he's the kind of guy that'll still be a virgin the day he gets married. But that doesn't seem to comfort Tai.

Suddenly I was feeling a bit better. I walked over to where TK and Kari were working and sat down. I sat watching them silently for a few moments. They seemed to think it was a bit weird that I was watching them doing school work, because after about a minute TK snapped, "Matt, we're busy, whaddaya want?"

"You guys have been working all day, do you wanna go see a movie tonight after all your hard work?" I asked.

TK looked a bit suspicious at first, so I continued. "There's that new blockbuster out, and it's supposed to be really good. None of my friends wanted to go, so you two should come instead. I can't just go to a movie by myself."

They both still seemed a bit reluctant. "Look, finish your work and then if you wanna go, come tell me, okay?"

Then I left and went to my room. About an hour later, there was a knock on my door. I turned down my iPod and called out, "Come in, Teeks!"

TK poked his head in the door. "Hey, Matt, me and Kari have finished our project. Are you still gonna take us to that movie?"

How did I guess? Like my brother would turn down a chance to see a movie he desperately wanted to see, for free, with his best friend and his older brother. I tried to look reluctant. "Well, I dunno… I was just making plans with Joe and Izzy…"

"Aw, please, Matt? Kari already called her mom and asked if it was okay, and her mom said it was."

I grinned. "Yeah, alright, the movie starts in half an hour so you two better get in the car."

-------------------------

When I came out after fixing my hair, TK was about to clamber into the front seat of my car. I grabbed his shoulder. "TK, what's wrong with you? Girls get the front seat, remember?" Okay, so this wasn't entirely true. My girlfriend got the front seat. Or whoever I was feeling nice towards. Back when me and Tai were friends, I would have gladly put Kari in the back and given Tai the front seat, even though Tai clearly wasn't a girl.

TK muttered something under his breath, but held the door open for Kari to get in. Kari looked a bit taken aback. "No, Matt, TK, you guys don't have to. I'll sit in the back."

I smiled at her. "Na, you can have the front seat, Kari. I'm sure TK doesn't mind."

I turned to look at TK and raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to complain. I knew he wouldn't. He knew how selfish he would sound, telling Kari to get out of the front seat so that he could sit there. He glared at me, but all he said was, "Of course I don't." He climbed into the back seat.

It took about twenty minutes to get to the movies, which left us just enough time to get tickets and popcorn. When we got in, the trailers for upcoming movies had already started. I sat down next to Kari, and TK sat on her right.

The movie didn't have the best plot, but there were lots of explosions, which kept me interested for at least half an hour. At one point the hero was almost killed, and Kari got a fright and grabbed my hand. I think she must have thought she was grabbing TK's hand, because she looked at me and blushed crimson. I just grinned at her and kept watching the movie. A few minutes later I put my hand on hers. She blushed slightly but didn't remove her hand. I smiled.

-------------------------

After the movie we all got back in the car for the drive home. I was giving Kari a lift home so that she wouldn't have to wait at the cinema for her parents. This time TK sat in the back seat of the car without complaint, but I could tell he was unhappy because I was the one sitting next to Kari, not him. We started talking. "So Kari, how's high school been going?"

"It's okay, but there's a lot more work than in middle school."

I nodded. She was right; Odaiba High School was hard work.

"Yeah, but it's not so bad; at least all your friends are with you," I said.

"I dunno, Davis can be a bit annoying," laughed TK.

"Well, if he's anything like his sister…" I replied. June Motomiya scared me. Even though she didn't get along with her brother, the two of them had a lot in common if TK's account was anything to go by.

We kept talking for the rest of the way home. When we parked outside the Kamiyas' house, I left TK in the car and walked Kari to the front door. At the front steps, Kari smiled at me and said, "Thanks for taking us to see that movie today, Matt. It was really nice of you."

I smiled back at her. "Any time."

Just then Tai opened the door. "Hey, Kari! Hey, Matt. Why didn't you meet us at the park today? We all wanted to see you, you've been gone for four months."

"I guess I felt kinda sick so I went home," I answered icily.

Tai raised an eyebrow. "You don't look too sick,"

"I felt better, okay? Look, Kari, I gotta go. TK's waiting in the car. See ya."

I headed back to my car. As I walked I heard Tai ask Kari, "What was that all about?"

Idiot. As if he doesn't know. I got back to my car, got in and slammed the door. TK had gotten into the front seat. "What's wrong?" he asked. I ignored him and started the car. He remained silent until we got home.


	3. First Date

_Disclaimer: I don't own it. Get it through your head._

I spent Monday at work. I hate working at a supermarket, especially when I have to clean up the messes other people make. I mean, I don't clean up when I spill something, why the hell would I do it for someone else? And the little kids that get dragged in here every day spill a lot, let me tell you. So you can imagine I was pretty happy when it was all finally over and I could just go home.

There was no band practice tonight; we were having a week off after touring for such a long time. I went straight home instead. Dad was still at work and TK was at basketball practice, so I had an early shower and turned on the TV. All that was on was a cricket game on one channel and a trashy soap opera on another. I turned off the TV and was about to go to my room when the phone rang. I ran to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"Matt! It's Kari. Is TK there?"

I couldn't help myself smiling just a little. It was so convenient having Kari's best friend as a little brother.

"Sorry, he's at basketball. He'll be back in two hours."

"Oh," said Kari, sounding a bit disappointed.

"I can take a message if you want," I offered.

"No, it's okay. I'll call later,"

"Yeah, alright,"

"Oh, and Matt… thanks for taking us to the movies the other night, it was real considerate of you," said Kari.

"It's no big deal," I replied. Then I gathered my courage and continued, "You know, we could go see another movie tonight if you wanted."

"Uh, I guess that would be okay as long as it wasn't too late. What time?"

I checked my watch. "In half an hour,"

There was silence on the phone for a moment as Kari processed this information, then, "But TK doesn't finish basketball practice until six,"

"TK doesn't have to come,"

Silence again. Kari had just realised exactly what I had been suggesting. It was one thing going to a movie with your best friend and letting his older brother pay for the tickets, but what I was asking was something rather different.

"So… do you want me to pick you up?"

"… Yeah, okay. See ya!"

I hung up the phone, grinning. Kari had just said yes to a date with me! I rushed to the bathroom to fix my hair.

-------------------------

I went to pick Kari up five minutes later. Tai wasn't home yet; I didn't know whether or not to be grateful. I was doing this to piss him off, which didn't really work if he didn't know about it. On the other hand, I didn't really want Tai's fist in my face. I decided I was probably glad that Tai wasn't home. I wasn't quite ready to see him yet.

Kari answered the door, dressed in slightly nicer clothes than the ones she usually wore. She looked cute. Not beautiful, like Sora always looked. But very cute. I smiled at her, but it was a faked smile, not like the warm bright smile she flashed me. I wasn't happy to see Kari, because I was wishing that it was Sora I was going to the movies with, Sora who was smiling at me with so much warmth.

"Hey, Kari!" I said, with the same fake smile. "Come on, we're gonna be late!"

I grabbed her hand and we ran to the car. As we drove we talked. I was surprised by how comfortable I felt talking to her; that is, until she asked kind of a difficult question.

"Matt, can I ask you something?"

Well, she didn't exactly give me much of a choice, did she? "Yeah, okay,"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" I knew what she was talking about, but I wasn't going to admit it.

"Taking me to see a movie."

"Why is that such a big deal? If my brother took you to see a movie you wouldn't be asking questions," I said, grinning.

"That's because TK's my best friend!" she said, getting a bit defensive. I had noticed that both of them got very upset when anyone implied that they were more than just friends.

"You wouldn't be suspicious if Davis asked you to go see a movie with him," I retorted.

"Yeah, but I still wouldn't say yes."

I laughed and changed the subject.

-------------------------

The movie we watched was even worse than the last one. It didn't bother us though, because we weren't really paying much attention to the movie anyway. Okay, that's a lie. Kari was watching the movie. And me… I was watching Kari. I was looking at her soft brown hair and pink cheeks. And her eyelashes… they were too thick and black to be natural. Was Kari wearing mascara? Until a few days ago, I had thought of Kari as a little sister, and it was kinda weird to see her wearing makeup. Was she doing that for me? I put my arm around her, and felt my heart jump when she leaned over to rest her head on my chest. That was weird; it reminded me of the time when Sora and I shared our first kiss.

I drove Kari home when the movie was finally over. It wasn't very late, because the movie had started in the afternoon, so Kari invited me in. Her dad was still at work, but her mom was home and offered us cookies. I accepted and soon regretted my decision; the cookies tasted like pond slime. Kari laughed as I took a bite and started coughing and gagging.

"Are you alright, Matt?" asked Kari's mom.

"I'm fine, Mrs Kamiya. The cookies are great," I spluttered.

She smiled and walked off. I forced myself to swallow the mouthful of cookie then gasped, "What WAS that?"

Kari was almost crying with laughter. "My mom always makes cookies for my friends, but most of them know better than to actually eat them. You should have seen your face!"

I tried to grin, but it wasn't quite funny yet. I could still taste the cookie.

We just sat on the couch talking for a while. Then Kari caught me staring at a black and white picture of Tai and Sora which was perched on a coffee table. Tai was smiling, and he had his arms around Sora. She was smiling too, her hair framing her face and her eyes glowing. "I took that photo. Tai kept it because he said it was a really nice picture," said Kari.

It was a good picture, but I couldn't admire Kari's handiwork; all I felt was anger and hurt. It must have showed, because I could hear concern in Kari's voice when she said, "Matt? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," I growled.

She put a hand on my shoulder. "Tell me. Please?"

And then everything came out. Well, not everything. Not the part about how I hated her beloved older brother, or how I only took her on a date to annoy him. But I told her about Sora dumping me for Tai. Afterwards, she looked so sad that it was as though she was the one who had had her heart ripped out and stomped on the ground. Kari cared so much about other people. She didn't know quite what to say, so she put her arm around me and rested her head on my shoulder. I kept talking. "You know, it's bad enough knowing that someone doesn't care about you, but it's so much worse, thinking that they love you and finding out that they couldn't care less." Did I just say that? Kari was so easy to talk to. I reached forward to hold her hand.

At that moment there was a jingling of keys and Tai burst in the door. "I'm home!" he bellowed, before his eyes lighted on me and Kari, holding hands with our arms around each other and her head on my shoulder. "What the hell is going on here?" he squeaked.

Kari leapt up and detangled herself from me. "Nothing!" she gasped.

Tai glared at me. "Matt, what are you doing?"

I smirked. "I think I should go."

"Damn right!" he snapped.

"Tai!" scolded Kari.

"It's okay, Kari. Some people just don't have much consideration for others."

As soon as Tai looked away, I mouthed 'I'll call you,' to Kari and headed out the door.

-------------------------

(Third Person)

"What was _he_ doing here, Kari?" snapped Tai after the door slammed shut.

"I invited him in after he drove me home from the movies," she answered.

"Didn't he take you and TK to a movie just the other day?"

Kari turned a bit pink. "Yeah, but… this time TK didn't come."

Tai's eyes widened to the size of tennis balls. "You mean you went to see a movie with Matt Ishida, ALONE?" he roared.

"What's your problem, Tai? I can take care of myself, I'm fourteen!" Kari screamed back.

"But Matt's nineteen!" Tai shouted, even louder.

Mrs Kamiya poked her head into the room. "Is everything alright? What are you two shouting about?"

"Nothing, mom. Everything's fine," growled Kari.

After their mom had left, Tai sighed. "I just want to protect you, Kari. I don't trust Matt that much."

"From what I heard, he's not the untrustworthy one!" she snarled, and stormed off. Tai sat, perplexed, for a few moments, then shook his head and left the room.

Kari lay on her bed, still seething. Tai thought he could control her life; well, she'd show him! Just then, her cellphone buzzed loudly. She snatched it up. "1 new message" was displayed across the screen. It was from Matt. She opened it and read, "Kari, meet me after work tomorrow, maybe we can do something fun. See ya then!"

She smiled and started to text back.

Author's Note: The whole story is from Matt's point of view, unless otherwise stated. Also, totally unrelated, in a lot of fics where the Japanese names are used, characters add bits of Japanese to their everyday speech… I've noticed a lot of fics give boys the word "chan" after their names, e.g. Takeru-chan, but I thought "chan" was only for girls, and boys got "kun"? Also, in some fics characters call their parents Otoosan and Okaasan, but I always thought that you called your parents Chichi and Haha, and other people's parents Otoosan and Okaasan. I'm just asking this because I'm looking for help with my understanding of basic Japanese. Thanks  Anyway, I hope you're liking my story so far, I have some good ideas for upcoming chapters so keep reading and please review! Big thank you to all the people who've reviewed already.


	4. The Fight

_Disclaimer: Digimon was created by some Japanese dude, and dubbed into English by some American dude. I am neither of these people, although I am eternally in their debt for the blessing they have bestowed upon the world._

(Third Person)

After texting Matt and telling him that she would walk over to the supermarket as soon as school finished, Kari called Yolei. It took a while for her to pick up the phone, but when she did Kari launched straight into her good news.

"Guess what?"

"Kari? What's up?"

"I just got back from a date!"

"Oh my gosh, with who? Was he cute?" Yolei suddenly sounded interested.

"Matt Ishida."

There was silenced on the other end for a moment, then Yolei laughed.

"Oh, my… You're either making this up, or you're the envy of half the girls in Odaiba."

"I swear, I'm not kidding!"

"So what did TK say?"

"TK? I didn't tell him, he was at basketball practice. Why?"

Yolei sounded a bit concerned. "You didn't tell him? Don't you think he might be a bit… uncomfortable? You know, with his best friend dating his big brother?"

"Yeah, maybe… but he is my best friend. He'll understand."

"So this means you definitely don't like TK as more than a friend?"

"Yolei! Of course I don't! I've been telling you that for years."

"Yeah, but I thought you were just embarrassed about admitting it. Argh, I wish I had known this sooner! TK's hot!"

"Yolei, have you completely forgotten about Ken? You already have a boyfriend!"

"That's why I wish I had known sooner."

Kari giggled. Yolei kept talking. "So tell me every single thing that happened on this date."

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(Matt's Point of View)

My day at the supermarket almost seemed to drag on longer than usual. After I finished mopping up some brat's puke in Aisle Four, my shift was finally over and I could meet up with Kari. I changed out of my apron and uniform polo in the bathroom, then headed outside to wait for her. She wasn't there yet, but someone else was leaning against the wall of the supermarket. It was Tai.

I tried to walk to my car without him seeing me, but the moment I stepped out of the store he spotted me and walked up to me. "What the hell were you doing with my sister last night?" he snapped at me.

"We were just having a bit of fun," I smirked. I knew I was going to get a fist in the face soon, but I couldn't help baiting Tai a bit. After all, the whole point was to get him as angry as I could.

"Keep away from my sister! She's not one of your skank fangirls!" he snarled.

I snorted. The fact that Tai didn't have any fangirls of his own hardly gave him an excuse to insult mine. Fangirls were one of the definite advantages of opening for big bands.

"It's barely even legal, Matt. She's a kid. I knew you were an asshole, but I didn't know you were a fucking paedophile."

"It's not illegal, we haven't done anything!" I grinned. "Well, not yet, anyway."

And the next thing I knew I was on the tarmac with Tai's fists pummelling my stomach, chest and face and his voice bellowing in my ear, "You stay away from my sister!"

Okay, so I kinda deserved it. And I should have known what Tai's reaction would be. But the fact that I deserved to get my ass kicked didn't mean I was just going to lie down and take it like a good boy. I hit Tai back. Hard. His nose was bleeding, I had a black eye, but we didn't stop. I could barely see through the sweat and blood. I just lashed out at Tai blindly. I wasn't hitting him in self-defence anymore; I was taking out all my rage and pain over what he and Sora did to me.

Far away I could hear screaming, but it was small and distant, like a fly buzzing in a big empty room. The sound got nearer, and in the back of my mind I realised that it was a girl's voice. She screamed for us to stop. I recognised that voice. It was Kari. Faintly I could hear her screaming, "Get off him! Please, just stop hitting him!" I was sure that she was telling me to stop hitting Tai. I think that's what he thought too, because we were both shocked when Kari's backpack came crashing into Tai. We both stopped fighting and gawped at Kari. I wiped the blood and sweat out of my eyes – was it mine or Tai's? – and stared at her, open-mouthed.

"I – I told you to stop, Tai," she croaked.

"I thought…" Tai began, then faltered. I could hear the hurt in his voice.

Kari grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. "I'm sorry, Tai…" she whispered.

Tai struggled to his feet and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Save it, Kari," he snarled. "Go with your _boyfriend_."

Ignoring the tears running down his sister's face, Tai limped to his car, climbed in and sped off.

Kari was crying. Not wailing, like some people do when they cry, but tears were streaming down her face and she couldn't suppress a few sobs. I put an arm around her and lead her to my car. I was staggering slightly; I had taken a pretty bad beating. I touched my black eye and winced at the pain. Tai was really very defensive of Kari.

The thing that surprised me most was that I felt… happy. Not the kind of vindictive satisfaction I had expected, but real happiness. I didn't really understand it – what was there to be happy about?

Kari and I sat in the car in silence for a minute. Then I spoke. "I'll drive you home if you like."

She wiped the tears from her face and looked up at me. "No. No, Tai will be there. I don't want to see him just yet."

I could relate to that. "So… what do you wanna do? We could go to my place,"

"Thanks," she sniffled.

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Dad wasn't home from work yet, but TK answered the door when I knocked. He seemed a bit surprised to see me with an arm around Kari, but taking one look at her tear-stained face he grabbed her hand and led her inside.

"Kari, are you alright? What's wrong?" I heard him asking her.

"I'm fine, TK," she replied. "Could I have a tissue?"

He sprinted off to get her a box of tissues. I put an arm around her and led her to the couch, where I sat down next to her. I tried to comfort her. "Don't worry, Kari. Tai's your brother; he won't stay mad at you."

"I just wanted to help you, Matt. I didn't want to hurt him!" she sobbed.

I held up her backpack. "I doubt this would have hurt him much. He just got a bit startled."

She shook her head. "I don't mean hurting him physically! Did you see how he looked at me? Like I had betrayed him."

And for a moment I felt guilty, because Tai had looked just like I had felt when Sora told me that she was dumping me for Tai. I shook my head; that was the intention, wasn't it? Revenge on Tai?

I leaned over and held Kari close to me. I guess it must have looked a bit suspicious to TK, who returned at that moment clutching the box of tissues. He cleared his throat loudly and sat down on Kari's right, handing her the tissues. She thanked him and took one. "So… do you two want to tell me what happened?" he asked.

"Me and Tai got in a fight," whispered Kari.

TK raised an eyebrow as he looked at my black eye and blood-stained clothes. "You and Tai?" he asked sceptically.

"She was trying to stop him from fighting with me," I supplied.

"I thought you and Tai were best friends! You guys haven't fought for years."

"We haven't really had anything to fight about."

He was silent for a moment, then, "So… what was it about?"

Kari and I looked at each other, then I spoke; I didn't think she was ready to tell her best friend what had happened. "I took Kari to see a movie last night, while you were at basketball practice. Tai didn't like it, so guess how he decided to solve his problem?"

Kari elbowed me softly in the ribs. I definitely didn't have the right to insult her brother. "I tried to stop them," she whispered. "I tried to help."

TK was itching to wrap his arms around Kari and make her feel better, I could tell. Too bad for him that I had beaten him to it. He settled for placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Kari. Tai's your brother; he cares about you!" He leaned over to murmur in her ear, "…And even if he doesn't… I do."

Kari smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks, TK."

I got to my feet. "Come on, Kari, I'll give you a lift home if you like," I said.

She smiled and got up. "That'd be great, thanks, Matt!"

She grabbed my hand and we walked out to my car, leaving a forlorn-looking TK standing on the doorstep. He waved to Kari as we drove off, but she didn't wave back; I don't think she even saw him.


	5. Best Friends Forever?

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot (so please don't take it from me!)_

Author's Note: It's taken me ages to update, so I'm really sorry! I'll try to be better next time. This chapter has been really hard to write. The characters act a bit OOC and there's lots of angst, so some people might not like it. It'll get better, I swear! Anyway, on with the story.

-------------------------

After dropping Kari off, I came home and collapsed on my bed. I lay there for a while plugged into my iPod, before I heard the sound of my bedroom door closing. I looked up and saw TK standing in my room, arms folded, glaring at me.

I grinned nervously. "Hey Teeks, what's up?"

"Why, Matt?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you take my best friend on a date? Why did you get in a fight with Tai? Why didn't you bother finding out if I was okay with you dating Kari?"

I snorted. "Why does everyone have a problem with that? I can date who I want, TK."

"But everyone knows that Kari's not who you want to date. You don't care about her at all. You don't even know her."

"I've known her for just as long as you have," I retorted.

"No. I've known her for years. You've known she exists for years. There's a difference."

He was right, but I wasn't going to admit that. Instead I snapped, "You're just jealous because you've been trying to get her to like you for four years, and I've got her after less than a week."

I could see the hurt in TK's face. I regretted saying it, but I was too proud to apologise.

"You're going to hurt her."

"It's not your business, TK. Stay out of it."

"I'll tell her! I'll tell her that you're only dating her to hurt Tai!"

Well, whaddaya know. My brother knows me better than I thought. "Do you think she'll believe you, TK?" I sneered.

"She's my best friend. We trust each other." And he ran out the door, slamming it behind him.

-------------------------

(Third Person)

"Meet me after school, I really need to talk to you."

That's what TK had texted her the night before. So Kari waited in front of the school building for him. After a few minutes, he ran up to her and gasped, "Kari, I need to talk to you. I swear, it's important."

"Well, okay, but please hurry, TK. I'm meeting Matt in fifteen minutes."

He winced. "Kari, Matt's using you."

"What?"

"He just wants to get back at your brother, Kari."

"No, TK, that's not true!" she cried, shaking her head.

"He doesn't care about you, Kari! Please, believe me!" responded TK.

"Stop it, TK!" she snapped. "Stop trying to ruin this for me!"

"Ruin! Kari, why can't you understand that I'm trying to help you!" TK exclaimed, sounding hurt.

"Help me? You're acting like Davis; stop being so jealous!" she snarled.

And that was it. TK snapped.

"Fine, Kari! I'll just stop bothering you!" he cried, storming off, trying in vain to ignore the lump in his throat and the wetness around his eyes.

-------------------------

Kari slumped down on the front steps, sighing. Why couldn't TK just let her be happy? Had she been too harsh on him? She couldn't help feeling a bit guilty.

"So, what's wrong?" asked a voice behind her. Kari jumped, then looked back and saw that it was just Yolei.

"Oh, Yolei! My best friend hates me!" cried Kari.

Yolei sat down next to her and grasped her hands. "Kari, are you okay? Tell me everything that happened."

Kari explained what had happened, from her fight with Tai to her fight with TK just before. Yolei was uncharacteristically quiet, holding Kari's hands to comfort her but not interrupting.

"…And now they're both so upset. Oh, Yolei, I didn't mean to hurt them! I was only defending Matt," Kari moaned.

"Don't worry, Kari, they care about you! They won't stay mad at you forever," answered Yolei, trying to comfort her friend.

Kari's lower lip trembled. "That's what TK said when I told him about my fight with Tai!" she wailed, about to burst into tears.

Yolei pulled Kari to her feet. "Come on, let's go to my family's store. You need comfort food," she said, smiling warmly.

Kari hesitated. "I've got plans with Matt…."

"You can text him and tell him you can't make it," Yolei interrupted. "I don't think you're in the mood for it anyway. Now come on!"

-------------------------

TK only ran until he was away from Kari. Then he slumped against the fence behind him. How could he have been so stupid? Of course Kari wouldn't believe him. She wouldn't hear a bad word against Matt, not even from her own brother. He felt like such an idiot. And she was right; he was jealous. What had he done wrong? He had always been there for her, right from the very beginning. Matt had never cared about her. Why couldn't she see that TK was the one who cared about her? He shook the wire fence in frustration.

A boy was kicking a soccer ball in the air on the other side of the fence. He looked up and TK saw that it was Davis. Davis dropped the ball and ran over to the fence, calling out, "Hey, TA!"

Once, Davis had gotten TK's name wrong on purpose, as a sign of disrespect. Now it had become a kind of in-joke between them. But TK wasn't in the mood for jokes; instead of smiling he scowled at his friend. "What's wrong with you?" asked Davis.

"Nothing!" TK snapped, before he realised that his red, puffy eyes gave him away. He sighed. "Kari never wants to speak to me again," he murmured.

Davis had grown up a lot since TK had known him, but he couldn't entirely contain his joy upon hearing that his main rival for Kari's affections was out of the picture. "Really? I mean, that's awful, man. Does this mean you guys are definitely not together?"

TK normally put up with Davis's insensitivity, but he was in no mood for it today. He wanted to bring Davis down a peg. "You won't be so pleased with yourself when you find out why we fought!" he snarled.

A/N: Okay, yes, it took me forever to update, but I just got back to school! Cut me some slack here, people! Oh, and to whoever commented on the big age gap between Matt and Kari, TK and Davis are fifteen and Kari turns fifteen during the course of the story, so that's not quite so gross.


	6. Cheating

A/N: Yay! I updated! Not much more to go now. This is a pretty climactic chapter so I'm hoping it turned out okay. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed by the way… you guys totally inspired me to keep writing this fic! Anyway…

Kari blew me off yesterday without giving a reason, but it was right after TK talked to her, so at first I was worried that she knew what was really happening. Then TK came home in a rage, so I started thinking that maybe things didn't go quite as he had planned. I was relieved. I still had a black eye from the last beating Tai gave me. If Kari found out that I was using her, I'd be getting another beating, and this time Kari wouldn't intervene.

I spent the day at the supermarket. I had band practice that night for the first time in a long time. It felt good to be doing what I love, and it took my mind off everything for a few blissful hours. Then I drove home. I didn't expect Dad to be home – he usually worked pretty long hours – but someone else was waiting outside my apartment door. The last person I was expecting to see.

It was Sora. She smiled when she saw me, but she seemed sad. I didn't know what to say to her. I didn't know whether to be angry with her; she had hurt me, but I still cared about her. In a way, that was why I was angry – I loved Sora, and it hurt to know that she didn't feel the same way.

"Hey, Matt," she murmured.

"Hi, Sora," I whispered in reply. "It's been a while."

-------------------------

(Third Person)

She felt bad about ditching Matt yesterday, so Kari resolved to visit him and apologise. She had just finished her homework, so she grabbed her jacket, told her mom she was going out and headed out the door. It was cold out, so she pulled on her pink jacket and hunched over against the wind. If only she wasn't fighting with Tai! He would give her a ride. He was always looking after her.

That made her think of TK. He was always looking after her too. She hadn't meant to hurt him. Her thoughts strayed back to the conversation she had had with Yolei the day before.

(Flashback)

_Kari pushed aside wrappers from the various snack foods the girls had just eaten, then turned to Yolei. "I just don't get why he exploded like that! He's normally really calm, you know?"_

"_I think it's pretty obvious why he was so upset, Kari," said Yolei matter-of-factly. She did that a lot; said something as though she was obviously right. Kari, however, didn't think it was obvious at all. Noticing Kari's blank look, Yolei continued, "Kari, everyone can see it except you! Davis saw it, I saw it. If Tai and Matt haven't noticed, they're totally oblivious. Everyone always thought you and TK were… more than just friends."_

"_That's ridiculous," scoffed Kari._

"_Then why are you getting so defensive?" Yolei retorted._

"_Because it's not true!" she insisted._

"_Maybe for you it's not. But did you ever think that maybe TK gets defensive because for him, it is true?"_

(End Flashback)

Kari understood why TK had been upset; she had chosen his brother over him, and had struck a nerve when she accused him of being jealous. She almost wanted to apologise, but then she reminded herself that TK was wrong; that being jealous didn't excuse him trying to break up her and Matt. Until he apologised, Kari resolved, she wouldn't say anything.

-------------------------

(Matt's POV)

"I'm so sorry, Matt!" she sobbed. "I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

Was I hearing her right? She didn't mean for me to get hurt? How the fuck did she think I'd feel?

"So, what, you thought I'd just be okay with all of this?" I asked bitterly.

"I just… Matt, it wasn't supposed to turn out like this."

"So how was it supposed to turn out, Sora? You cheat on me, with my best friend, and I say, oh, that's nice, let's stay friends? Did you expect me not to be upset?"

"Did you expect me not to be upset when you left me for four months and didn't bother to call?" she cried.

I paused. She was right; I hadn't called her on my tour. She had been all by herself for four months. I felt a slight pang of guilt.

No. That didn't excuse what Sora had done, what Tai had done. Still…

"I… I'm sorry, Sora. I just… Look, why don't we talk about this inside?"

-------------------------

(Third Person)

It was raining now. Kari was trying in vain to keep her hair dry. Only a little further, she told herself. Soon she'd be at Matt's apartment.

She finally arrived at the building, soaking wet. She was shivering as she got into the elevator and punched in Matt's floor. Once she was up there, she walked down a hallway of identical doors until she found Matt's door. It was still open; that was strange. And there were voices coming from inside. Who could Matt be talking to? His dad always worked late, and TK had basketball practice. Kari stood perfectly still outside the door and listened.

"Oh, Sora, you have no idea how much I've missed you!"

"Really? From what Tai told me you got over it pretty quickly."

A pause. Then, "What did Tai say to you?"

"Something about Kari."

"Damn! Did he tell everyone about that?"

"You wanna explain it to me?"

He sighed. "Look, I like Kari, but she's a kid. Just a little kid."

Kari felt as though her heart was being crushed. That night in the movies with TK when Matt held her hand… nothing. And when he held her after her fight with Tai… nothing. All the dates, everything he had said to her, it all meant nothing. Tai had been right. TK had probably been right too.

She leaned around the door frame and saw Matt and Sora kissing on the couch. Her vision blurred with tears and she couldn't stifle one sob.

-------------------------

(Matt's POV)

I heard a muffled sobbing noise behind me, so I pushed Sora away and craned my neck to see what the source of the noise was. There was a girl standing in the apartment, completely drenched. It took a moment for me to recognise her. Then I realised; it was Kari.

The moment she saw me looking at her, she ran out the door. I leaped up and raced after her. I could hear Sora calling my name, but I didn't respond. I got to the elevator, but it was already half-way down with Kari in it, so I sped down the stairs, taking them two at a time.

I finally got outside and saw the shape of a girl in white pants and a pink jacket, running. Ignoring the icy rain, I ran after her. When I caught up with her I put a hand on her shoulder and she stopped and whirled around. I started to say something, but she cut me off. I could hear the hurt in her voice as she said, "You know, it's bad enough knowing that someone doesn't care about you, but it's so much worse, thinking that they love you and finding out that they couldn't care less."

And then she started running again. Only this time I made no move to run after her. I just stood there in the freezing rain, staring as the shape of a pink jacket got smaller and smaller, until it disappeared from view.

A/N: Aww, poor Kari! On an unrelated note, which do you guys prefer, dub names or Japanese names? I wanna know for my next fic. Thanks everyone :)


	7. Real Love

A/N: Wow, thanks for all the reviews guys! They really encourage me to actually write something, so thanks heaps! I promise this IS Yakari, not Takari or Sorato! I'm probably going to get a million reviews after this saying, wow, thanks for the update, sure took your time about it didn't you! And I deserve them, I'm sure. But seriously folks, I have been swamped with homework and projects and stuff. I've been getting by on minimum sleep and I barely have time for anything. Fanfics aren't exactly a priority! Most of my projects are done, so I hope I get my next chapter done faster. Thanks guys!

_Disclaimer: Me no own._

I looked at my phone; four missed calls, all of them from Sora. I hadn't accepted any of them – I wasn't ready to talk to her just yet. I was thinking. If I didn't care about Kari, why did I feel so horrible? Was it guilt, that I had hurt an innocent kid? Not entirely; I had hurt my own brother, and my former best friend, but I didn't feel nearly so bad about that. Could it be, maybe, that I was upset, angry, disappointed, that… no. No, it couldn't be that. I felt guilty, that was all. I wasn't upset that Kari and I weren't dating anymore. That was ridiculous. I wasn't at all upset that Kari would never want to speak to me again – since when had I ever even wanted to speak to her anyway? I was just concerned about how Tai would react when he found out I had cheated on his sister with his girlfriend. Nothing more.

Beside me, the phone started ringing again. I glanced at it. Sora again. Sighing, I picked it up and pressed the green button. I'd have to talk to Sora sometime.

"Hey, Matt," she began.

"Hi," I said shortly.

"Why haven't you been answering my calls?"

"Oh, um… my phone was switched off."

"…Why are you lying to me, Matt?"

"I –"

"What happened yesterday? You ran off and didn't come back."

"I needed to talk to Kari about something."

"Oh… right. Well, I mean, look on the bright side, now you don't have to worry about dumping her."

"Yeah…" I tried to laugh, but it wouldn't come.

And then I did something that I never would have dreamed of doing normally, and that I was sure I would regret for all eternity. I don't know why I did it really, but something about what Sora said got to me. _"You don't have to worry about dumping her…"_ Kari had dumped me first. And I had never felt worse. Maybe that was what triggered my outburst.

"Look, Sora! What happened yesterday was a mistake."

"That's okay, but next time just tell me before you run off and leave me like that."

"No, not that. I mean… what happened before that. You made it pretty clear in the past that you don't feel that way about me… and I think I just realised that I don't feel that way about you."

"…You don't… but Matt, I thought…"

"I thought I did, Sora, but I've been thinking about it, and I've realised that… I care about someone else."

"You mean… but I didn't think you were serious about her…"

"Look, Sora, I gotta go… I've gotta make at least three more apologies today."

"But…"

I pushed the red button to end the call.

-------------------------

(Third Person)

"Tai, I need to talk to you," muttered Kari, staring at her shoes. Her older brother was standing in the doorway, looking at her expectantly. She took a deep breath. "I… I just wanted to say that… I'm sorry. You were right. About everything." She looked up, and when Tai saw the tears in her eyes, any anger he was harbouring disappeared. He hugged his baby sister close. "Kari, it's okay! I forgive you, please don't cry!"

Kari sniffled. "It's not that, Tai. It's something else."

Tai stopped hugging her and held her arms. "What happened, Kari? Tell me."

-------------------------

(Matt's POV)

After I hung up on Sora, I headed through into the living room. TK was in there, talking on the phone. "Come on, Mom, please? Aw, why not? What! But that's not fair! Fine. Yeah… okay…. Whatever. Sure. I guess I'll see ya. Yeah. Bye." He scowled and slammed the phone down.

"You were talking to Mom?" I asked.

He whirled around and glared at me. "Yeah, actually I was."

"About?"

"I told her I didn't want to stay here anymore and asked if I could go home."

"But you love staying with Dad."

"It's not Dad I have a problem with," he responded with venom.

I sighed. It was so hard to apologise when he was like this. "Huh, I guess I deserved that."

But TK wasn't being nice. "Damn right," he muttered.

"Look, TK. I'm sorry, okay?" I snapped, then took a deep breath and tried again. "I really am sorry," I said, softer this time. "I said some things to you that I never should have, and I hurt your best friend."

"It's more than that," said TK quietly.

"I know, I know, I was getting to that. I'm sorry for that too, TK. For taking the girl you love. But the thing is… I love her too."

TK wasn't expecting me to say that, if the way his eyes bulged out of his head was any indication.

"I know you never thought I did, and I didn't think so either, but it's true."

After a moment, TK said slowly, "You love her? You… you really love her?"

I nodded.

"Well then…" TK continued sadly. He held the phone out to me. "Call her."

"What?" I was confused. I had expected TK to be angry that I was taking Kari away from him.

"I want you to be happy, and I want what's best for Kari. If you really love her, and she feels the same way, then…"

"Wow… TK… you're a real great kid, you know?" I was pretty amazed at how selfless my brother could be. I've always known that he's a pretty nice guy, but it amazed me that he could so easily put the happiness of his brother and his love above his own.

"It's nothing, Matt. It would just be selfish of me to be resentful of something that makes you and Kari happy. Besides, Kari's friendship means more to me than petty fights."

I grinned. "You know what, Teeks? I think you just said something wise."

He smiled back, trying his hardest not to look disappointed. He placed the phone in my hands. "Call her, Matt. Now would be a very good time to beg her forgiveness."

I dialled the Kamiyas' number.

-------------------------

(Third Person)

Kari had just finished telling Tai exactly what had happened, her story punctuated by several outbursts of sobbing. Tai tried to comfort his sister, but inside he was seething. How could Sora do something like that to him? And worse, how could Matt do something like that to Kari? He clenched his fists, furious with Matt for making his sister cry.

At that moment the shrill ringing of the phone interrupted Tai's thoughts. He glanced at Kari, who was sitting down wiping her red puffy eyes. "I'll get that," he offered, and left to pick up the phone.

-------------------------

(Matt's POV)

I planned to confess to Kari how I felt in the hopes that she would forget and forgive, and we could start going out again. I was excited, but also nervous. What if she was still angry? Of course she'd still be angry. But what if she was so angry that she never wanted to speak to me again? I took a deep breath. The phone was ringing now. Any minute I would hear Kari's voice, and I would spill my heart at her feet. Any minute now….

"Hey, Kamiya household, Tai speaking."

Oh, _shit._

A/N: The next chapter will most likely be the last one, but don't expect it too soon, I'm pretty busy. I'll try though :) Thanks for reviewing, hope you enjoyed, see ya next time!


	8. Birthday Kisses

_Disclaimer: After seven chapters I think I've made my point, but if not, I DON'T OWN DIGIMON._

When I heard Tai's voice I almost dropped the phone. What could I do? Tai would be furious with me. Suddenly I had an idea. I gestured to TK, trying to tell him to take the phone from me. Tai wouldn't mind TK speaking to Kari. TK, however, seemed to think I was trying to get out of talking to Kari, because he grinned at me and folded his arms, refusing to help. There was only one option left. "Uh, is Kari there please?" I muttered, trying my best to disguise my voice. But Tai was too smart for that. "Matt?"

I gulped. "Uh…"

"MATT!" Tai bellowed.

"Tai, calm down!"

"CALM DOWN! You made my sister cry, you fucking bastard! You're dead!"

"Tai, wait, I can explain!"

"Don't worry, Kari already did that," he snapped.

"Tai, please, I –"

"Do you realise how long it's been since I saw my sister cry? DO YOU?"

"I'm sor –"

"I should come over there and beat the shit out of you right now."

"No! Tai, I'm trying to say sorry!" I shouted, slightly afraid that Tai really would come over and beat the shit out of me.

There was silence for a moment. Then, "You have one minute to explain yourself or you'll be eating meals through a straw for months," he growled.

"TaiI'mreallysorryaboutwhatIdidtoyoursisterandyourgirlfriendalthoughactuallyitwasn'treallymyfaultsheactuallywaskissingmedidyouguyshaveafightorsomethingnevermindanywaythepointisIthinkI'minlovewithKariandIwannatalktohertoapologiseandtellherhowIfeelsowillyoupleaseforgivemeandletmetalktoyoursister? Andnotbeatmeup?"

"Wait, what?"

I sighed. "Tai, I'm really sorry about what I did to Kari. But I need to talk to her… I want to make it up to her and to tell her that… that I love her."

"You – you WHAT?"

"I love Kari, Tai."

Tai was silent for a moment, and I could imagine the cogs turning in his brain as he processed this. "Woah… My best friend is in love with my sister… this is so weird."

"Wait, did I hear you right? Did you just say 'best friend'?"

"Yeah, course. Who did you think my best friend was?"

"You were threatening to beat the shit out of me a few minutes ago!"

"Yeah, but that was BEFORE you said you were sorry and that you loved Kari."

I smiled and shook my head. I was very grateful for Tai's forgiving attitude at the moment. Something was still bugging me, though. "What about Sora? Did you guys have a fight or something?"

"Yeah," Tai said quietly. "She said I had been distant, I wasn't paying any attention to her. It was because I was thinking too much about you and Kari, she said. I told her I was just worried about my little sister. I also said I didn't understand why you were acting so weird, and she said you were just mad that we had been going behind your back. I'm so sorry, Matt. I didn't know. You know I've liked Sora for a really long time, and when you left on tour, she started asking to spend more time with me, and flirting with me sometimes. I said I wasn't going to go behind your back, and she said she'd talk to you about it. She told me you two had broken up, and that you were okay with us. I only found out a few days ago that you hadn't known, and that she only told you when you got back. I wouldn't have done it if I had known, Matt. I swear."

I felt so guilty. Tai had never wanted to hurt me. He hadn't even known that Sora and I were still together. So the only person I could really hold a grudge against was…

"Don't be mad at Sora, Matt," said Tai, reading my mind. "She couldn't bear to be left all alone for months, so she came to me. She couldn't handle our breakup, so she went back to you. She needs to be the centre of someone's attention. She's always been like that. She's not just the Digidestined of Love because she shows love to other people, she needs it back."

I sighed. Tai's crush on Sora had endured for years, and even after a messy break-up he was still determined to believe that it wasn't her fault, and that she could do no wrong.

"Just be careful, Tai. I don't want my best friend getting hurt."

"You said it! You said 'best friend'!"

"Yeah, of course. Who did you think my best friend was, moron?"

-------------------------

(Third Person)

Kari lay on Tai's bed, absorbed in her own thoughts. It had felt good to confide in her brother, and she was glad that they were on speaking terms again, but it didn't really make her feel much better. Matt had really hurt her. She had sacrificed her relationship with her brother and her friendship with TK for him, and he didn't even care about her. She thought back to what she had said to him the night she found him with Sora. "You know, it's bad enough knowing that someone doesn't care about you, but it's so much worse, thinking that they love you and finding out that they couldn't care less…." He had said the same thing to her, when he was telling her about Sora cheating on him. He should know how she was feeling. Matt, of all people, should understand. But apparently he didn't. Or maybe he just didn't care. Kari lay thinking until finally, worn out, she fell asleep on her brother's bed.

Tai was outside the door, talking on the phone. "Yeah, sure, you can talk to Kari. Hang on, I'll go get her." He leaned around the door frame to look at Kari, then ran back to the phone. "Uh, Matt, she's asleep at the moment. I really don't wanna wake her up, she looks so peaceful… I've got another idea for how you can make it up to her, though."

-------------------------

(Matt's POV)

So that's how I wound up in a girly clothing store with Tai, TK, Davis and Yolie. Ken wasn't there, as he didn't live in Odaiba. Yolie didn't seem to mind too much though, and was paying a lot of attention to my brother.

"Remind me again what we're doing in here!" moaned Davis.

"Gosh, Davis!" Yolie huffed. "It's Kari's birthday in three days! We're getting her a present!"

"Yeah, but why are we in _here_? I was just gonna by her chocolate."

"But _I'm_ buying her the dress she's been bugging me about for an eternity," she responded, holding up a very short strapless pink dress. Tai's eyeballs bulged out of their sockets. "My sister is not wearing that!" he gasped.

Davis and TK's eyes were bulging too, but I got the impression it was for a different reason.

Despite Tai's objections, Yolie bought the dress, and Davis bought chocolate. Tai had bought Kari a few of her favourite chick flicks on DVD, and TK had spent a lot of money on a fancy digital camera. "Woah, Teeks, how'd you afford that?" I asked.

He grinned. "Mom's a lot more generous with allowance money than Dad," he answered.

So the only person who still had to buy Kari a present was me. "Argh, what am I supposed to buy her?" I moaned. "Tai, you're her brother, what would Kari want for her birthday?"

"I dunno, Matt. I just got her these coz I know girls love chick flicks. At least, Sora and Mimi do."

"Some good you are. TK, you're her best friend. What am I supposed to buy her?"

"Um…"

"TK!"

"I dunno! You're her boyfriend or something! Work it out yourself!"

"Damn you, you're not a very helpful little brother. Yolie, you're a girl. What would you want for your birthday?"

"For my cheapskate parents to pay for BLOODY CONTACT LENSES!" she roared, forgetting that we were in public. I gave her a weird look, then turned away and sighed deeply. "Nobody knows what to get Kari!" I groaned.

"You didn't even bother asking me!" said Davis.

"Haha, you're joking, right?" I laughed.

"I happen to know exactly what you should get her," he retorted, pointing at a shop window. I looked to where he was pointing. He was right; that was exactly what I would get Kari.

-------------------------

It was the day of Kari's birthday, and I was a bit nervous. We had organised a big surprise party for her at her house. Yolie was keeping her busy while Tai, TK and I set up. We had the place pretty well-decorated when the guests started showing up. The first person to arrive was Davis, and to my horror he had brought his sister Jun. I knew it would be unfair not to invite her, since she was not only a friend of Kari's but also a Digidestined. Still, I really, _really_ would have liked to tell her to get lost. Fortunately for me, Jun's grown up a lot. She's lost a lot of her stalker-ish behaviour, although Davis tells me she still keeps a lock of my hair taped in her diary. How she got my hair I can only imagine. Creepy.

The next person to show up was Sora. I nudged Tai and whispered to him, "Tai! I can't believe you invited Sora!"

"She's Kari's friend, Matt. Besides, I like having her around. And you can't stay mad at her forever."

I glanced up. Sora was standing next to us. "Hey, guys," she started. "I just wanna say that… I'm really sorry…"

Her eyes started tearing up. Without thinking I patted her on the back. "Don't cry, Sora, I forgive you. And I bet Tai does too." At this, Tai nodded vehemently. I continued, "And we can always still be friends." I grinned, and Sora grabbed me in a completely unexpected hug.

The next person to arrive was Joe, who had taken time off at the hospital just so that he could come to Kari's birthday. He brought Cody with him. They were closely followed by Izzy and, to my surprise, Mimi.

"Mimi! What are you doing here!" gasped Tai. "You're meant to be in America!"

"My dad's here for a business trip, and I talked him into taking me. I decided to surprise you guys!" she giggled.

"We're all pretty surprised," I laughed. Mimi hugged Sora said an individual "hi" to the rest of us.

The only people we were waiting for now were Ken, Yolie and Kari. I imagined Ken would be arriving with his girlfriend, so I texted her to tell her that we were all ready, then we waited. About five minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Tai ran to open it. Kari stood in the doorway, bewildered. Behind her were Ken and Yolie. "Surprise!" cried Davis.

TK smiled at her. "Happy birthday, Kari."

I walked over, and Kari shot me a glare. Staring at my shoes, I mumbled, "Kari, you have no idea how sorry I am. I know I don't really deserve it, but please forgive me?"

"I don't know, Matt. I don't know if I can," she said quietly. There was an awkward silence for a moment, which was broken by Mimi. "Oh my gosh! Kari! I haven't seen you in ages, you've changed so much!" she squealed. Kari screamed when she saw Mimi, and soon the two girls were hugging and catching up on the latest gossip.

After that, Kari opened her presents. I can't say I paid much attention to that; I was dwelling on what Kari had said to me. "I don't know if I can…" I should have known that she wouldn't be able to forgive me. I should have known that "sorry" wouldn't help much. "Only one present left, Kari!" said Tai, catching my attention. "Who's it from?" he continued.

"It's from… Matt," replied Kari, looking up at me. Then she opened the card. I held my breath. I could still remember exactly what I had written.

_Dear Kari,_

_There isn't really an easy way to say this, but, I love you. More than you can possibly imagine. I know that you probably hate me at the moment for what I've done to you. If you never forgive me, it might comfort you to know that I'll probably never forgive myself either. But I wanted you to know that even if you hate me I still love you and I always will. Happy birthday._

Kari read through the card, her face unreadable. Then she slowly ripped the paper from her present; it was a small black box. She lifted the lid… then beamed up at me. I had bought her a silver charm bracelet with only one charm; a silver heart with the words, "I love you," engraved on it and a tiny pink diamond beside the writing. I had hoped she would like it, because it was pretty damn expensive.

"You like it?" I asked nervously.

"Do you mean it?" replied Kari.

"Yes. Every word."

And the next thing I knew, Kari was kissing me. And I was kissing her back.

-------------------------

A few days later I sat on the Kamiyas' couch next to the girl I loved, looking at photos on a laptop screen. Photos of her birthday party, taken with a digital camera that she received from a certain Takeru Takaishi. I grinned as I looked at a picture of Kari, TK and I with Davis scowling in the background. "Davis doesn't look to happy in this one," I laughed.

"Ken looks about the same in this one," she replied, switching to a picture of Yolie clinging to my brother's arm and Ken giving TK a murderous look.

She opened the next picture. In this one Tai had an arm around Sora's shoulder and she, to his delight, was kissing him on the cheek. "That boy is an idiot," I chuckled.

Tai, who was in the kitchen, heard me and called out, "Yeah, Matt, but I'm a happy idiot!"

I laughed and leaned over to open the next picture. Kari blushed when she saw it. "I don't think I took this one," she mumbled. I didn't think so either; it was a photo of our kiss. I smiled and whispered to her, "Y'know what? I think this one's my favourite."

--FINIS--

A/N: WOW! I actually finished this fic! I'm so proud of myself. Much as I enjoyed writing Sweet Revenge, I'm very VERY glad it's finished now. In closing, I want to thank all my reviewers, you guys really inspired me to keep writing. So a big thanks to:

Jillie062

I Am Todays Light

juzcallmebreezy

Pyntee

Digi-Girl101

Riona Strife

Rika24

The Digital Gate

DrownedxEmotions

The Aubrey

DigimonDestined

Minamoto Izumi

doragon no mizu

Takai-taka

JuMiKu

truly a lost-kitten

Bataru

AiraEve

Mayalah

xkaarinax

Not to mention a shout-out to my friend Brooke, who reviewed my story anonymously, and to anyone else who reviewed anonymously. Thanks for all the reviews, guys, and I hope you like my next fic!


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